


pinpricks

by cruelworld



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: I'M NOT SURE WHAT THIS IS!!, M/M, Project Runway AU, love me tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-09-03 11:45:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8711983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cruelworld/pseuds/cruelworld
Summary: in which the menswear challenge is either the best or worst thing to ever happen to Alec Lightwood. [ project runway au ]





	

**Author's Note:**

> birthday fic for my lovely gf! if you read this, send a happy birthday mssg to highwarlok on tumblr !!

This had never been the path that the Lightwoods would have chosen for their oldest son, nor was it one that anybody who had seen Alec would have thought that he would have entered into.

And, _okay_ , he sort of understood that one. Most of what he wore consisted of old, near threadbare, sweaters and whatever pants had been clean that morning. He didn’t think it was much of anything though.

Alec might not have known how to dress himself, but put any woman in front of him and he would have her looking like a starlet in a matter of moments. He had done it for his younger sister – and best friend –, Isabelle time and time again over the years.

Was it a career? Honestly, until Isabelle forced him to sit down and actually make an audition tape for the upcoming season of Project Runway (a show that Alec had no-so-secretly binge watched time and time again), that thought had never crossed his mind.

Of course, finding himself in the work room nearly three months later, Alec couldn’t imagine why it _hadn’t_.

☆ ☆ ☆

Guessing what the challenge each week was wasn’t exactly Alec’s forte. Tim and Heidi would end up telling them with so many clues before the words actually left their mouths. Some of the other contestants blurted out their guesses each week – _fucking Simon_ – but Alec never took anything as fact until the words left one of the two’s mouths.

“Your challenge this week is menswear,” Heidi announced with a smirk on her face that told Alec that she knew exactly what each of the contestants was thinking.

Anybody who had seen Project Runway before knew full well that menswear was the most dreaded challenge. It was a concept that was foreign to Alec certainly. It wasn’t as if he designed any of his own clothes.

No, most of the reason that he had gotten into making anything was because Izzy had hated the dress that their parents insisted that she wear to Sunday school.

(A couple of minor alterations and Izzy loved it. Their parents hated it. Alec had never been so proud in his life.)

There was a certain calmness across Alec’s face that he knew the other contestants envied. A couple of them mumbled that they wished that they could be as sure as him. And honestly? Alec found himself wishing that he could be as calm as he was pretending to be.

☆ ☆ ☆

A casual outfit. That had been all of the guidance that they had been given. Everybody else had gotten busy with their sketchbooks instantly. Alec, on the other hand, simply stared down at the blank sheet, hoping desperately that something would spring to mind.

However, by the time that Tim entered into the workroom, he still had nothing. The urge to throw his sketchbook at the wall was strong.

“This challenge should be easy for you, Alec!” Clary insisted. “You could just use your own clothes as a pattern!”

Alec rolled his eyes, refusing to dignify that with an answer. It might work, he thought, if he were built anything like a model. When he looked in the mirror, Alec saw someone who was too big and too lanky in so many ways. Of course, that wasn’t anything that he was willing to state in front of the cameras.

He shot one last look down at the blank sheet, unsure of where his mind had been. At least when he got to Mood, he would be able to pick out some sort of fabric that would make all of this make sense.

☆ ☆ ☆

Most of what Alec returned with were basic, neutral colors. It wasn’t anything that he didn’t typically work with – apart from a couple of yards of peacock blue and green silk that had drawn him in for a reason that he couldn’t explain.

Raphael, upon seeing it, had stifled a laugh. Alec considered that a win with the way that the judges had been reacting to Raphael’s outfits lately and got used to working on a cardigan.

Cardigans were easy. Cardigans were –

☆ ☆ ☆

“Simple,” Tim announced upon seeing what Alec had done so far.

Alec bit down on his lower lip and nodded.

“I worry that you’re not acting to your full potential, Alec. Something’s holding you back. This isn’t anything that we haven’t seen from you yet,” Tim said gently. (Honestly, Alec wanted to know how he was able to tell everybody how terrible their outfits looked without hurting anybody’s feelings. He had yet to master that skill himself.) “I think that there’s something there that you’re not tapping into!”

He nodded and went to work pretending to look at his sketches for the outfit that now consisted only of the cardigan that he’d pulled out of thin air until Tim announced that their models would be joining them soon.

(Frankly, Alec was a little more excited for that prospect than he let on. Getting to see a bunch of good looking men taking off their shirts might have been up there with seeing his designs walk fashion week if he was completely honest with himself here.)

☆ ☆ ☆

His own model was named Magnus Bane and, frankly, he was the best looking man that Alec had seen in his life. Most might have considered that to be an exaggeration, but….

“So, was you not making pants an aesthetic choice? Because, personally, I think that I would look amazing in simply a cardigan, however…” Magnus trailed off with a wave of his hand.

Alec shook his head. “I just don’t… know what I’m doing…”

A smirk spread across Magnus’ face as he took a step closer to Alec. Somehow, Alec didn’t feel uncomfortable. That was a rarity. He didn’t know what to think of that. Instead of worrying about it, he let out a bit of a nervous laugh.

“With the outfit or in general? Because you look adorably confused.”

“The outfit?” he said, though it came across as more of a question than anything else.

Magnus opened his mouth like he wanted to say something before he caught sight of the fabric that Alec had set off to the side. He took it between his fingertips and smiled over at Alec. “You know, I’ve always thought that I looked nice in jewel tones. Just a thought.”

There wasn’t a chance for Alec to reply before Tim told the designers that the models had to get going, but perhaps he would get to work on a pair of pants in the emerald fabric…

One final look at Magnus walking off solidified that thought in Alec’s mind. A pair of very tailored pair of pants.

☆ ☆ ☆

There were little pinpricks on each of Alec’s fingers and he knew that the time was running out. From the pants to the elbow pads that he’d sewn on the cardigan… he had never been so unsure about anything that he had made in his life.

It certainly wasn’t something that he would wear, though there was no doubt in his mind that Magnus would look good in it though.

His mind had been going back to Magnus too many times over the past twenty four hours. If he didn’t know any better, he might have called it a crush, but one didn’t get a crush on somebody that they had a simple interaction with… right?

Maybe there was something wrong with Alec.

Dwelling on that wasn’t an option though. Not when Jace walked over to look his outfit over. Of all of the people in the competition, Alec had no doubt that Jace would tell him exactly what he thought.

Jace’s eyes lingered on the pants for a moment. Then, he smiled up at Alec. “So… your model is pretty cute, right?”

With the way that Jace had been looking at Clary, Alec was half certain that Jace was mocking him.

Until, of course, Jace offered him a soft smile. “I think you should go for it. I mean… if he can make you use color…”

For once, Alec had no problems in letting the cameras see him smack somebody.

☆ ☆ ☆

The moment that Alec saw Magnus, he knew that his face lit up. It wasn’t intentional. He wanted to maintain his usual calmness. His excitement betrayed him. He couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped when Magnus hurried over to him either.

“It’s gorgeous,” he said, a slight and almost amazed sigh leaving him before he paused and held up a hand to Alec. His nails were painted the same green as the material Alec had used. “I was hoping that you would.”

His cheeks went a little red and he couldn’t make eye contact with Magnus for a moment. “Uh… let’s try this on.”

Nodding, Magnus stripped off his shirt without a second thought. Alec stared, speechless, for a moment before he touched the buttons on his cardigan haphazardly. “Let’s see how this fits….”

Magnus pulled on the cardigan, neglecting to button it up for the time being. He looked over to Alec as he popped the button on his jeans. “Do you think that this fits properly?”

Alec nodded, his mouth a bit dry as he passed him the pants to try on. “You can…”

“Cover up?” he asked, the corner of his lips twitching up slightly.

“No! That’s the last thing that I want! I mean…” he stopped there, not knowing what he was supposed to say to any of this. He had already made a fool of himself.

God bless Magnus though, the way that he moved in and pressed his forefinger gently to Alec’s lips. “I get it.”

The pants ended up fitting Magnus like a glove. Alec could think highly of his own tailoring skills. Instead, he thanked whoever was out there for crafting Magnus’ frame so… flawlessly. He couldn’t say that though.

Instead, he nodded. “You look good. I mean, the outfit… I mean…”

Magnus let out a soft, melodic laugh as Tim called out, “Five minutes, designers.”

The usual nerves that Alec felt this time of day were beginning to set in. He bounced on the balls of his feet slightly and Magnus raised an eyebrow.

“Are you okay?”

Alec, who couldn’t help doing anything else, nodded.

“Are you sure? How can I help you calm down?”

Moving in towards Magnus, Alec made eye contact for a moment before leaning forward to crash their lips together. It wasn’t his first kiss and he figured that it wasn’t Magnus’ either, but it was nice.

Their lips moved easily against one another. Magnus’ hands threaded through Alec’s hair and the other tried impossibly to pull him closer. Without much thought, Alec’s left hand brushed up against the sensitive skin of Magnus’ stomach and –

“Guys!”

Alec pulled away, unsure of who had spoken up, but he did hear somebody whooping in the background. _Fucking Simon._

Not even attempting to hold back the grin threatening to take over his face, Alec looked up to meet Magnus’ eyes. “You know what? That kind of helped.”

**Author's Note:**

> SO IT ENDS THERE BUT LET'S JUST SAY THAT YES, ALEC WON THE CHALLENGE AND THE COMPETITION AND NOW HE AND HIS HOT MODEL BF TRAVEL THE WORLD AND LOOK GOOD AND DRESS BETTER


End file.
